2. Kinetic analysis of human movement: principles

Kinetic (so-called dynamic) analysis evaluates motion in terms of the forces that cause it.

It deals with forces:

  • internal - arising in the musculoskeletal system, changes the state of motion of individual parts of the system, do not affect the movement of the body as a whole (dynamometry)
  • external - acting in direct contact with an external object (eg contact of the surface with the pad) (dynamic posturography, treadmills) 
Unlike kinematics, which only describes motion, kinetics deals with its causes.

When assessing motion control in terms of external forces, the most frequently evaluated output parameter is the reaction force of the pad.